Crawford And The Ladies of Schreient
by WingedPanther73
Summary: These are my moves in FicTicTacToe. It's part of my challenge with Sybil with topic: Love, character: Crawford.
1. Crawford's Blind Date

Title: Crawford's Blind Date

Author: WingedPanther73

Pairing(s)/Characters: Crawford x ?

Rating: PG

Summary: This is my first move in FicTicTacToe for prompt "07. Anyone but you." You can follow the match on my LiveJournal account

Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: Weiss Kreuz, its names and characters belong to Koyasu Takehito, Project Weiss, Marine Entertainment and Animate Film.

Beta Reader/Opponent: Sybil Rowan

Crawford woke up and knew it was going to be one of those days. Every once in a while, his precog completely flaked out, and he had no idea what was going to happen for a while. He'd known for a while that today was going to be one of those blanks, but it was finally upon him. It was a good day to stay home.

Nagi had an impish smile on his face as he ate breakfast. For the mover to have an expression was unusual. For him to be so obviously up to something was positively unheard of. The fact that he was up to something today, of all days, was almost terrifying.

"What's going on, Nagi?"

"I arranged a date for you tonight."

"You WHAT?"

"You have a date tonight. Don't tell me you didn't know."

"You know what a red X on the calendar means."

"Oh, that's right! Today is a bad day for plans, isn't it?" Nagi's smirk grew broader. Crawford watched the boy continue to take bites out of the waffle floating in front of him and shook his head. There would be no arguing with him. This had been planned.

* * *

Crawford was trying to decide who he should kill first. Originally, he had thought Nagi was taking advantage of his "condition", but as the day wore on, he realized that all three were in on it. It was particularly annoying to have Schuldig digging around in his head, playing up his nervousness until he was on the verge of a breakdown.

On the other hand, Farfarello's suggestions for how to treat his unknown date was a little unsettling. He really didn't want to perform a pre-death autopsy on his date.

Finally, as evening approached, Crawford prepared for his date. Given that he had the choice between going voluntarily and being dragged by Nagi, he would prefer to go with his dignity intact. He chose a nice suit, and scowled at Nagi as the boy insisted on escorting him to the date.

As he got out of the car at the restaurant, there was an ungodly squeal, "Tot's favorite friend made it!" This just couldn't be good. Tot tackled Nagi in a hug, and Crawford caught sight of Hell in the direction Tot had come from.

Their eyes locked, and in unison they stated, "Oh no! Anyone but you!" He heard the noises of affection from Nagi's direction, and held his head in anguish. He was reconsidering Farfarello's advice.


	2. Crawford Wins a Bet

Title: Crawford Wins a Bet

Author: WingedPanther73

Pairing(s)/Characters: Crawford x ?

Rating: PG

Summary: This is my second move in FicTicTacToe for prompt "08. You can hide underneath me."

Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: Weiss Kreuz, its names and characters belong to Koyasu Takehito, Project Weiss, Marine Entertainment and Animate Film.

Beta Reader/Opponent: Sybil Rowan

Crawford woke with a smile on his face. At last, the day had arrived when he would win his bet against Schuldig and snub Hell in a single move. It would involve a slight risk, of course, but he already knew what the potential issues were and how to prevent them from resulting in injury to anyone he cared about.

The first step, of course, was to put on the bullet-proof suit, instead of one of the ordinary ones. It was uncomfortable, but a perforated liver would have been less comfortable. Granted, he usually avoided shrapnel, but it was necessary to accomplish today's goal.

Schuldig was eating some bastardized concoction of sausage and potatoes for breakfast. Crawford hadn't found the source of the German's native sausages, but one bite had been enough to convince him the knowledge wasn't worth seeking. "You dirty bastard!"

"Problems, Schuldig?"

"I suppose I should just pay you the two hundred Yen now!"

"Not necessary, you can just leave it under my pillow for me. I have been wrong before, you know."

"Once in the last ten years is not odds I'm willing to take."

Crawford smiled, knowing that Schuldig would receive the mental image of a central digit standing erect.

* * *

Crawford lurked outside the potential battleground. Kritiker was going to be messy, for once. Perhaps it was the fact that the Weiss boys were nursing their wounds. Regardless, an assault on Masafume's home was not a smart idea.

He slipped inside the mansion while Kritiker's forces prepared their assault. They would have the unfortunate effect of destroying many of Masafume's creations. He positioned himself outside the women's quarters just as the first grenades burst through windows. The combination of poison gas and shrapnel launched them from their rooms.

Hell glared at him as she organized the counter-attack. The next round of attacks threw Schon to the ground next to him. She was dazed, uncertain. "You can hide underneath me."

She looked at him, then nodded. He covered her with his body, enjoying every curve of her, just before shrapnel flew into his side. He grunted from the impact, but the suit did its job. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but we should get you out of here. They'll be satisfied with your father's beasts, they won't take him down." The reassurance was enough to convince her, and he guided her out of the house to his hidden car.

* * *

The next morning, he left Schon's lovely frame to get breakfast and payment from Schuldig. He also enjoyed the particularly spiteful message Hell had left on his cell phone.


	3. Crawford Negotiates for Love

Title: Crawford Negotiates for Love

Author: WingedPanther73

Pairing(s)/Characters: Crawford x ?

Rating: PG

Summary: This is my third move in FicTicTacToe for prompt "01. I don't want to make it easier for you."

Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: Weiss Kreuz, its names and characters belong to Koyasu Takehito, Project Weiss, Marine Entertainment and Animate Film.

Beta Reader/Opponent: Sybil Rowan

Crawford smiled at Hell as he escorted Schon into the Masafume estate. As Neue's mirrored gaze fell on him, he felt his precognition start splintering. He sighed inwardly, even as he beamed at Hell. Neue was going to be difficult. Fortunately, Hell was absolutely furious.

"You have some nerve bringing her back AFTER we finished the cleanup, Crawford."

"I was tending to her jangled nerves. A delicate flower, such as this, cannot be subject to such violence. It's for brutes like you to handle violence." Schon rewarded him by rising on tip-toe and giving him a peck on the cheek, before skipping off to her room.

"Thank you for protecting her delicate beauty. I'm sure she rewarded you nicely."

"She did, indeed. She was most grateful." His precog splintered into an incoherent jumble of potential futures. "I'm glad I was able to be of service." With that, he bowed and turned away.

He was barely able to pick out that something would happen under a nearby tree, though the possibilities kept jumping. Neue was not keeping her temper at all. He bowed to the inevitable and slouched against the tree. He would have to play this very carefully.

He didn't have long to wait before the mirrored helmet appeared before him. While she showed no expression, the state of his precog told him everything he needed to know.

"You aren't making this easy for me, Brad."

"I don't want to make it easier for you. If I show you any deference, they'll get suspicious." He tried to pick out anything from the jumble of possible futures, but he couldn't get anything solid. This was what had first drawn him to Neue: she disrupted his powers, making any interaction with her a true adventure. She was never boring or predictable.

Her voice grew dangerously low. "You didn't have to prance in here with her."

"Actually, I did. Hell is going to chew on her so badly that she won't chase after me again. Well, almost. I'll hurt her a bit, as well." The disruption settled down a bit.

"How are you going to hurt her?"

He already knew. He'd noticed a minor imperfection during their frolics. "Did you know she has a small birthmark on her left cheek?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Her other left cheek." The static spiked, then bottomed out, letting him see the rest of the path through this conversation.

"You mean, she's not perfect."

"Quite flawed. I'll make it out as something quite disturbing, upon reflection, and let her vanity destroy her."

She nodded, and turned. It was a shame he wouldn't see her again until the next evening.


	4. Crawford Takes Out The Trash

Title: Crawford Takes Out The Trash

Author: WingedPanther73

Pairing(s)/Characters: Crawford x ?

Rating: PG

Summary: This is my fourth move in FicTicTacToe for prompt "06. You woke me up."

Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: Weiss Kreuz, its names and characters belong to Koyasu Takehito, Project Weiss, Marine Entertainment and Animate Film.

Beta Reader/Opponent: Sybil Rowan

Crawford ate dinner across the table from Neue. Most people wouldn't be able to tell, but she was being particularly frosty towards him that night. The fact that Schon was still rubbing their tryst in Hell's face wasn't helping Neue's mood in the slightest.

As they finished, Crawford paid for their dinner and drinks, and escorted her to their hotel room. He tried kissing the nape of her neck, but all he got was, "I'm tired, Brad." He sighed, but let her go.

As he sat on the edge of the bed, he was startled by the sound of his cell phone. He wasn't sure if having Neue this upset was a blessing or a curse. "Hello?"

He was annoyed to hear Schon's voice in his ear. "Brad, Darling, Hell's being an absolute bitch, and I just can't take it any more. Come pick me up and I'll reward you."

With Neue being difficult, it was a somewhat tempting offer. Then again, he knew exactly what an evening with Schon would turn out like. She was not imaginative.

"Were you going to do your makeup for me?"

"Of course! What kind of a woman wouldn't put on her face?" He looked at Neue fondly. She didn't need to bother with such silliness.

"No, I meant to cover the birthmark."

There was a long silence. "I beg your pardon?"

"The birthmark. On such a flawless body, it's quite distracting."

The silence was even longer. "My. Birthmark."

"A little foundation should do the trick."

There was a long silence, then the line went dead. He put away the phone. "I guess she doesn't want me to pick her up, after all."

As he was musing, he felt a soft hand gently touch his arm. He looked down to see the smile that only he was allowed to enjoy.

* * *

Two hours later, Brad and Neue lay next to each other, sweaty and exhausted.

He looked over to his lover. "I thought you said you were tired."

She smiled evilly back at him. "You woke me up."

"I'll have to remember to destroy the self-esteem of other women more often."

"Be sure you do, and I'll be sure you're always glad you did." She traced her nails along the inside of his thigh. Perhaps he wasn't as exhausted as he thought.


	5. Crawford Ends The Nonsense

Title: Crawford Ends The Nonsense

Author: WingedPanther73

Pairing(s)/Characters: Crawford x ?

Rating: PG

Summary: This is my fifth (and final) move in FicTicTacToe for prompt "03. I'd love to say this to your face."

Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: Weiss Kreuz, its names and characters belong to Koyasu Takehito, Project Weiss, Marine Entertainment and Animate Film.

Beta Reader/Opponent: Sybil Rowan

Crawford woke up to one of those days... again. It was unusual to have two of them in such close proximity. Worse, Nagi had his impish smile again. "What do you have planned this time, Nagi?"

"Nothing much. Just a date."

"Give me your phone." That got his attention.

"My phone?" Crawford just glared at the boy until he sheepishly handed it over. Tot was on his speed dial.

"Yay! Tot's so glad Nagi could call her again! When does Tot need to bring Hell to the restaurant?"

Crawford's voice was cold. "I'd love to say this to your face, Tot, but I'm afraid you'd be distracted by Nagi's presence." He took the stunned silence at the other end of the line as a good sign. "Tot, if you persist in setting me up with blind dates with Hell, I will be forced to hurt you."

"You couldn't! Nagi would protect me!"

"Nagi can be caused to be busy at inconvenient times." He heard sputtering on the other end of the line, and saw Nagi glaring at him over breakfast. "There are ways to hurt you other than physical."

"Tot won't put you on a date with Hell." There was defeat and sorrow in her voice.

"And before you think of it, the other members of Schreient would not appreciate having you make them my date, either. Am I clear?"

The sound of utter defeat was clear in her voice. "Tot understands."

Crawford deliberately didn't hang up the phone as he handed it back to Nagi. "It looks like I have nothing for you to do this week, Nagi. I know you'll have trouble filling in the empty time, but you'll just have to manage." Crawford heard the squeal of delight as the phone reached Nagi's ear. The boy flinched from it.

* * *

That night, Crawford tried to process what Neue was telling him. She was going to toy with Yohji's guilt. "Are you sure you want to do this, Neue?"

"I'm certain. It will give both of us an advantage over Weiss."

"I'll wait for you. Take care of yourself with them."

"Yohji can't even figure out if he wants to hit me or hug me. We'll know more about them when this is done."

Crawford kissed her, knowing it would be a long time before he got to be with her again.


End file.
